SF Giants could have a wild competition for final bullpen spots

With a little less than three weeks before the Giants break camp, two intriuging competitions have developed.

One is fairly straightforward. Ehire Adrianza and Tony Abreu appear to be competing for one backup infield spot. The other promises to be a dogfight, as no fewer than eight relievers have a realistic shot at two bullpen spots.

Sergio Romo, Santiago Casilla, Javier Lopez and Jeremy Affeldt are locks, and Jean Machi has a job to lose. That leaves Yusmeiro Petit, David Huff, George Kontos, Jake Dunning, Heath Hembree, Dan Runzler, Kameron Loe and upstart lefty Jose De Paula fighting for the other two jobs.

Petit was supposed to be a lock as the long man, but has looked terrible in his first two starts. If he turns it around, six relievers might compete for one job, barring injuries that would open spots.

Huff has been cleared to throw after treating a sore shoulder and will get a shot at the long relief role. The Giants also could extend Loe if necessary.

Manager Bruce Bochy reiterated that he really would like to have a long man to start the season.

The two relievers who have looked the best so far are the lefties Dan Runzler and the upstart De Paula, whom the Giants liked when they scouted him at Double-A San Antonio last summer and claimed when the Padres placed him on waivers in November. They no doubt had younger prospects with more upside they wanted to protect on the 40-man roster.

“He’s been the talk around camp right now with his early success,” Bochy said after De Paula’s second shutout inning of the spring Wednesday. “He’s got a good arm, a good breaking ball that he throws for strikes. He pounds the strike zone, both sides. We really didn’t know a lot about him coming from San Diego, but he’s opened some eyes up here.”

De Paula turned 26 on Tuesday and has not pitched above Double-A. There are reasons for that, and they might become evident as the spring progresses. He also has a minor-league option remaining, so that might hurt his cause out of camp.

For now, though, he is making an impression.

And I’m making a bee line for San Francisco. I’ll be off the next week. John Shea is taking over. Please follow him on Twitter @johnsheahey.